Pink’s Hot Dogs

Hot dog stands rarely share clientele with the most exclusive restaurants in Los Angeles, but Pink’s Hot Dogs earn the business of even the most discerning patrons. Owned and operated by the Pink family since 1939, Pink’s Hot Dogs is considered a “locals” place that the whole city can claim.

What makes their hot dogs so special? It could be the special “family secret” chili-dog recipe, or inventive hot dog concoctions named after the celebrities that frequent their establishment, or the long line that gives you time to work your craving into a lather of lust for these one of a kind frankfurters.

Whatever it is, Pink’s popularity is an established fact in Hollywood and as the cheap eats keep tempting people to their doorstep the restaurant shows no signs of slowing down. Some worry that because the real estate Pink’s occupies is so valuable in Hollywood it will be torn down and replaced. Public outcry would be deafening, however, as millions of people that the restaurant has served would have to face the infamous hot dog cravings that Pink’s induces without the prospect of eating their anytime soon.

Prices

Prices at Pink’s are rather reasonable, the restaurant charges $2.65 for their chili dogs and simpler dogs are generally less expensive. You have your choice of 24 different kinds of hot dogs at Pink’s and the menu keeps growing if someone orders a unique combination of toppings that is deemed to be worthy of the menu.

Get there

Pink’s is located at 709 N La Brea in Hollywood. The lines are long, often an hour or more, almost always 30 minutes or longer, so don’t set out to get some hot dogs without a free afternoon.

Well, we’ve tried to eat at Pink’s twice….last time we came to L.A. we couldn’t find the place, and none of the locals seemed too eager to point us in the right direction. But…we found it this time, parked on the side of the road along with a dozen or so other cars, and fell in line with a whole crowd of others. We were pretty hungry, and the line was moving very slow. After about ten minutes of standing in line, we look back and realize to our dismay that every car on the whole street had disappeared, and ours was being towed! We got our car, but the city of L.A. slapped quite a hefty (and I mean hefty) fine on us. It would seem that you can’t park on any of the streets after 4 p.m. now! Nobody bothered telling us! You would think that one of the Pink’s employees would come out and tell people to move their cars, or at least announce it on the intercom. Apparently they just assumed that everyone already new….that the entire crowd outside of Pink’s consisted of L.A. locals! This is a terrible assumption, considering that all of the L.A. locals I’ve talked to say that Pink’s hot dogs aren’t worth the hype. Pink’s cost us $300 (no, I’m not kidding. $300 smackers for a lousy parking violation), and we never even got to eat any hot dogs! Beware if you go! Don’t park on the street any time around 4 p.m. (P.S., at least Guitar Center was kind enough to announce the fact over their intercom)